Music Is All that I Have Left to Love You
by Fringe is seeking flares
Summary: Percy Jackson is just like every other teenager troubled with self-trust issues. But when his best friend Annabeth Chase pushes him to face his insecurities, will Percy take the chance to audition and become the new singer of his high school's band, led by no one else than Nico Di Angelo?
1. Chapter 1

Percy uncertainly looks up to Annabeth, backing up in his seat as the young women displays an announcement so close to his face that the black-haired boy starts thinking that she might shove it up his mouth. The sheet of paper, to the young man's dismay, has probably been ripped of the school's announcement board by the blonde whose eyes are fixed on her best friend.

Percy hesitantly takes the paper and carefully reads the announcement with a slight frown, which makes Annabeth smile victoriously. He sighs quietly as he hands the sheet back to the young woman, avoiding her piercing grey eyes. Her grin abruptly disappears as she retrieves the announcement; she furrows her eyebrows and glares at the green-eyed teenager.

-What? Percy asks as he starts feeling oppressed by the insisting look his best friend is giving him.

-Don't you dare tell me you are not interested by this, Jackson! Annabeth replies, crossing her arms on her chest.

-I don't even understand why you are showing me this…

-Don't play dumb with me either, seaweed brain! We both know that you want to attend those auditions for the school's band.

-Why are you so stubborn? We already discussed about this matter and you perfectly know that I am in no way interested. The young man angrily spits back.

-And why are you so short-tempered, uh? You are already getting mad at me and –

-Just leave me alone, will you? Percy cuts her off suddenly.

The blonde furiously sits back down, angrily puts her favorite cap on to hide her grey eyes.

-You're actually pretty intelligent, but you can act so dumb sometimes. Annabeth mutters. You're definitely going to regret this decision.

-Why does it absolutely have to be a big deal, Annabeth? I honestly don't want it to be… I hate to attract attention.

-Says the boy who got kicked out of six schools total. The blonde replies sarcastically.

Percy laughs out of embarrassment at his best friend's comment, which also makes him smile slightly.

-You're right, an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can be a real pain in the ass sometimes.

-I get what you mean!

A moment of silence settles in between the two teenagers who stares at each other.

-Listen, I'm sorry if I got mad at you. Percy tells Annabeth with a guilty look on his face.

-No, I should be the one apologizing for insisting so much even after you turned my proposition down. Answers the young woman. But I still think it would be a huge waste if you don't go, to be honest.

-I'm not that talented. There are a lot of other students that are way better than I am at singing.

-You're joking, right?

-The only joke here is you. The black-haired teenager says with a grin.

-Percy, stop putting yourself down like this and show them what a real singer is! I am serious when I tell you that you are talented, I do mean it.

The young man rubs the nape of his neck nervously, not knowing what decision to take. He knows he will feel terrible for deceiving Annabeth if he does not go to the band's audition. Percy hates to make his friends sad, especially the blonde. They had dated two years ago and had broken up after being in a relationship for six months, but even if most separated couples did not talk to each other after a break up, they still stayed very close friends. To Percy, friendship was more important than anything else in the world and he really trusted Annabeth's advices.

-Fine, I promise I'll go. I am not too pleased with the idea, but I'll do it for you.

This is a work in progress, thank you for your patience. It'll be very short and concise, don't expect much.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Percy finds himself standing in the middle of a driveway, awkwardly facing a small black house with its garage door wide open where five teenagers are transferring their instruments and equipment. The door leading to the house is wide open; a tall blond man with bright blue eyes wearing a purple shirt makes his appearance, his hands resting on his hips and his brows furrowed.

-Leo, where are you?

-What is it, Jason?

A fifteen-year-old boy with curly black hair and dark brown eyes who is installing a microphone holder turns around and stares at the blonde with a questioning look.

-Are you done setting the guitars?

-No, not yet.

-Can't you work a little faster? We need to be done before Nico arrives.

-Really? But we have more than enough time, he's always late!

-I don't care, hurry up and get the plugs and the adaptors already.

-You can shove them were I think, you basic white bitch. Percy hears the black-haired teenager mutters under his breath.

Percy walks in the garage without being noticed and stands awkwardly in the middle of the room. He starts twisting his fingers nervously as he looks in the blonde's direction, wondering if he has to talk to him. The young man decides not to do so, disliking the other's rough behavior. Instead, the green-eyed teenager walks toward Leo and taps on his shoulder, feeling a sudden feeling of courage burst in his chest. But when the Hispanic-looking man turns around to look at him, Percy's cheeks become red and he starts feeling embarrassed.

-Uh, hi… You're Leo, right? Name's Percy Jackson, I'm here for the auditions.

-Oh, finally, you've arrived! We were all waiting for you.

-Sorry if I'm late… I, uh, needed a little convincing.

-Yeah, I can see that. Leo says with an amused grin as he listens to Percy's unconfident speech. We were wondering if you would even show up, but surprisingly, you did! We almost started betting… Anyways, I'm Leo Valdez, it's nice to finally meet you, Jackson!

Both shake hands and Percy starts feeling better. The green-eyed teenager is attending school with Leo and has seen him several time walking down in the hallways or hanging out in the computer room, fixing electronical devices on his free time for fun. However, they are not in the same grade since the Hispanic boy is younger.

Suddenly, a young woman with black spiky hair and vivid blue eyes interrupts their conversation.

-Never mind about the guitars settings, I took care of it already. Jason was acting like a real drama queen about it and it was way too fucking annoying for me to not do anything about.

-Hey, thanks Thalia! I'll go take care of Bianca's keyboard now. See you later, Jackson. I can't wait to hear you sing!

After he waves goodbye to the curly-haired boy, Percy turns toward the newcomer who is carrying a bright red Fender Jaguar bass that fits with the lipstick covering her lips. She is also wearing eyeliner and has a very pale skin tone. She is smaller than Percy, but he still has the impression that she is fiercely looking down on him.

-Yo, I'm Thalia Grace! You must be Percy Jackson. From the swim team, right? I didn't expect you to audition, really.

-Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm the only member of the swim team that'll ever come here… Answers the green-eyed teenager as he sheepishly scratches the back of his head.

-The cool kids don't like us very much. But we don't mind it at all, it's mutual. Though, it's nice coming from a guy like you to come and audition. It would really help us out if you can become the singer.

-Don't get your hopes up too fast, Thalia. An Asian says with drumsticks stuck in the back pocket of his jeans. It all depends on Nico and you know how picky he is.

-Oh, well… It's alright if he doesn't chose me… I mean, I don't really consider myself good and I'm only here because my best friend plead me to audition…

-We'll see that later, replies the Asian with a smile. Anyway, I'm Frank.

Percy shakes hand with the other teenager. A few minutes later, Leo comes back with a set of wires, plugging one of them to the microphone and asks Percy to do a test. The black-haired man does so as the blonde who previously spoke with the Hispanic teenager makes his appearance.

-Are we all ready to go? Jason asks.

-Pretty much, we're still waiting for Nico and Bianca. Frank answers, sitting behind his drum at the far back.

-Gods, why do they have to be so late again…? I'm going to punch those Italians smartasses in the face so hard…!

Jason suddenly turns around to look at Percy, who suddenly feels the need to disappear six feet underground. It is the first time the blonde notices him and he does not like it at all.

-The fuck are you doing here, Jackson?

-He's here for the auditions! Leo pipes in.

Percy avoids the blonde's piercing blue eyes. There is a moment of silence before Jason finally speaks up.

-Oh, I didn't know you could sing!

-Me neither. Whispers the green-eyed teenager who is terrified by Jason's behavior.

Suddenly, a green car appears at the corner of the street and stops right in front of the driveway. It takes a few seconds for the vehicle to get parked in front of the garage with its trunk facing the five teenagers.

Leo quickly walks toward the car as he hears the click of the trunk being unlocked and opens it, revealing two amplifiers, a load of wires and plugs, a case containing an acoustic guitar, another containing an electric guitar, a keyboard and its holder.

As the Hispanic young man starts to unload what is in the trunk of the car, two girls and a boy exit the vehicle.

-Finally, you're here! Frank exclaims.

-We've been waiting for you, guys. Leo groans as he lifts one of the two amplifiers into his arms.

-You Italians are so goddamn slow. Mutters Jason under his breath.

-Hazel was the one driving this time. One of the girls, the tallest with olive skin, dark hair, deep brown eyes and a thick Italian accent, pipes in.

-What happened this time for you to be so late? Asks Thalia. I thought French were actually good drivers!

-Not really… It's not Hazel's case! The older-looking girl with the Italian accent says, looking in the second girl's direction.

-It's not my fault, Bianca! I just got my license! Groans Hazel, crossing her brown arms over her chest.

Percy observes her. She has extremely curly and cinnamon-colored hair, golden eyes and is way smaller than him. She walks toward Frank and kisses him chastely on his lips as Frank smiles in return, circling her hips with his muscled arms. He looks gigantic compared to her.

-So, why are you guys late again? Jason wonders out loud, his hands still resting on his hips in an authoritative manner.

-Nico needed his daily dose of caffeine. We made a detour at Starbucks. Sighs Bianca.

-You know I can't sign without it and it's _not_ a psychological thing!

Percy slightly jumps, surprised by the voice of the last teenager in the room who hasn't spoken yet. He turns around to stare at the young man still standing near the green car, holding one guitar case and a cup holder filled with four streaming cups of coffee, each having a straw of a different color dipped into it. The green-eyed teenager gasps, dragging everyone's attention to him in the process.

Near the car is standing a young man characterized by his thick Italian accent who Percy knows way too well for his own good.

-What are _you_ doing here? He spits angrily as he notices Percy.

-Uh… Hi, Nico…

* * *

Next part will be published by tomorrow, thank you for your patience.


	3. Chapter 3

Similarly to his older sister Bianca, Nico has unruly black wavy hair, deep brown eyes and olive-colored skin. He is only a few inches smaller than Percy and is wearing mostly black clothing, which impresses the green-eyed teenager for a moment. His train of thought is abruptly interrupted by Nico's furious tone.

-What. Are. You. Doing. Here. Jackson? How many times will I have to repeat myself?

-Well, he must be here for the cooking show! Leo answers sarcastically, saving Percy's ass in the meantime.

-Leo, just shut up already! He's here for the auditions… Thalia finally declares as she shoves a piece of gum into her mouth.

-Who let him participate? Nico asks angrily.

-He showed up by himself, actually. And for your information, we all agreed that anybody who showed up could participate to these auditions. Jason answers firmly to Nico's question, now crossing his arms over his chest.

Nico turns around and glares angrily in the blonde's direction. Percy swears that if the Italian had guns instead of eyes, Jason would be dead by now.

-But _he_ can't.

-I'm sorry, but… am I the only one who doesn't understand anything of what's going on right now? Frank asks with a look of confusion.

-I'm so not ready for this... Ciao, losers.

As he says those words, Nico storms out of the garage and furiously makes his way toward the car, enters the vehicle and slams the door loudly. Percy is slightly impressed since the Italian teenager was still holding his cup holder and not a single drop of coffee fell on the ground as he made his way to the car.

An uncomfortable silence takes place between the seven teenagers, who starts looking at each other awkwardly.

-Maybe I should leave. Percy says.

-Please, don't… I'll handle this. Bianca sighs as she slowly makes her way to the car and enters it.

Suddenly, they start hearing the older woman yell in Italian, gesturing in her brother's direction. Nico does the same, he talks as loudly as his sister does, but not enough for the other teenagers to hear what he says correctly. A few minutes of yelling later, both comes out of the vehicle and Nico angrily walks toward Percy with a furious look on his face.

-Alright, I'll let you audition, but I'm only letting you sing one song. Do I make myself clear?

-I can always leave…

-No, I insist. Spits Nico.

The Italian boy makes his way toward the far back of the garage to get his guitar ready, still holding his cup holder, as Percy wonders what he is still doing here.

* * *

Here's part three as promised. I hope you're liking this so far. I like exploiting the idea that Percy has zero self-confidence. If you keep reading, I promise you'll find out why Nico hates Percy so much. You'll probably hate me for it. Thank you for reading this, I hope it's not too crappy. I made a few important changes in the second chapter. And to make it clear:

Jason and Thalia both play the guitar, Nico plays bass, Frank is the drummer, Bianca plays the keyboard, Leo is the technician and Hazel is here for mental support.


	4. Chapter 4

Frank hits his drumsticks together to give the tempo as Thalia, Jason and Nico start strumming the cords of their instruments. Bianca hits the notes of her keyboard with her long fingers and Percy starts singing, the sounds escaping his lips easily and naturally. It was not too hard for him since he knew the song the band was playing very well, having heard it on the radio multiple times.

As he sings, Percy remembers how he first encountered Nico, who was two years younger than him. When he was in his junior year, the green-eyed teenager had started attending the swim practices after school. He was new since he had recently got kicked out of another school and did not know his teammate too well. Most of the students were wary of him back then and Percy remembered being genuinely scared by the people he did not know, making it hard for him to approach new people and make friends. However, he had started dating Annabeth already, which was for him a pretty good start.

That first time he acknowledged Nico's existence was on a Thursday night after the weekly swim practice of the team he was part of. He had opened his locker and something had fell at his feet. He picked up the piece of paper and read it. Percy had been surprised to find out it was a love confession from Nico Di Angelo, a freshman who played this weird card game called Mythomagic during lunch time. He was always accompanied by his older sister, Bianca, who shared a few classes with the green-eyed teenager. Percy remembered seeing the poor kid being picked on by another member of the swim practice during breaks when his sister was not with him; his name was Octavian and Percy particularly hated him.

On that night, Octavian had asked him about the letter and Percy hastily shoved it into his sport bag, telling the blonde that it was not his business. When he got home, the teenager could not find the letter in his bag and the next morning, Percy was horrified to see the countless copies of the letter that were plastered on the walls in the school's hallways and spread everywhere on the floor of the cafeteria.

Percy felt so bad for this incident afterwards, he was so ashamed he could not even bring himself to apologize to Nico, who was being picked on and bullied constantly by the other students. The green-eyed teenager knew that it was Octavian's fault, but not Nico, who had hated Percy since then.

The young man still felt particularly guilty about the incident and also for not apologizing. Annabeth had recommended him several times that he should say sorry to the black-haired teenager, but Percy simply could not do it. His social skills were terrible and got even worse after what happened.

The tempo of the song suddenly picks up and Percy is so focused that he forgets all about his worries. The song eventually comes to an end as Thalia, Jason, Nico and Bianca play the last notes of the song.

There is a moment of silence and everyone slowly turns around to look incredulously at Percy, who violently blushes. Jason grins as he rests his guitar on its holder right beside him.

-Who wants Percy to be the singer of the band, raise your hand!

Everyone does… Except Nico.

* * *

No matter if this cliffhanger is good or not, you'll get to read next part tomorrow! By the way, reviews would be appreciated, I don't bite even if I look incredibly formal in my writing. Thank you for your patience and for reading this far!


	5. Chapter 5

-How were the auditions? Annabeth asks once again.

-Terrible. Percy manages to say between two mouthfuls of pop-corn.

The green-eyed teenager is too focused on the movie he is watching with his former ex-girlfriend to develop his thoughts. Even Annabeth has a hard time hearing other sounds that are not produced by the television in front of them. Both teenagers suffered for a deficit attention disorder with hyperactivity; even if they always had a hard time staying still in class, a movie could easily catch their attention for its entire duration.

Percy's eyes widens as the blonde grabs the remote resting on his knees and throws her an offended look as she presses a button to pause the movie, not being able to fully concentrate on a discussion while the movie is playing.

-Don't give me that look. We've listened to this movie so many times already, you know all of its quotes by heart!

-I'm never getting tired of The Little Mermaid and you know it.

-This is serious, Percy. How were the auditions?

The young man simply shrugs as he changes positions. He and Annabeth are sitting on the living room couch in the living room of the apartment which Percy shares with his mother, Sally Jackson, and his step-father, Paul Blofis. Both teenagers had agreed to meet at Percy's place after the auditions.

-It wasn't too bad at first. Leo Valdez from junior year is their technician and he was being rather nice. There was also Thalia Grace and her terrifying younger brother!

-You mean Jason?

-Yeah, he's short tempered. I don't like that.

-Percy, this is no time to be difficult.

-You know how emotionally exhausting it is for me to deal with people who have big personalities! I'm not being difficult.

-I know, I'm sorry… Annabeth says, her features softening. Tell me about Thalia, I haven't spoken to her in ages.

-She's cool, I guess. You guys used to be friend right?

-Yeah, until she went to college… She stopped talking to me when she graduated. I heard she dropped out of school from Luke, a friend we have in common. I guess that's why she joined the band.

-You're probably right.

-Is there anyone else in the band?

-There's Frank Zhang, he's the drummer.

-I don't know him!

-Yes, you do. He's dating Hazel Levesque, they're both in junior year!

-You know Percy, for a guy who doesn't talk to anybody, you know a lot about everyone at our school.

The green-eyed teenager looks down at his feet, a little embarrassed about the truth carried by his ex-girlfriend's words. They both stay quiet for a moment until the blonde decides to speak again.

-You haven't really talked about Nico… Is he still mad at you?

Percy shuts his eyes tight; Annabeth knew everything that had happened the previous year and had encouraged him several times to apologize to the young man, but Percy simply couldn't bring himself to do so. She had let him live with the consequences of his acts, acts that Percy currently regretted.

-Yes, he is… And he is the reason why it went so badly. He doesn't want me in the band, Annabeth.

-What about the other, though?

-Well, they voted after my performance and except for Nico, they all wanted me to become their singer…

-But that's awesome! That means your part of the band now!

-Not really. Nico got into a fight with his older sister Bianca, Thalia and Jason because he didn't agree on the vote. While they were arguing, Hazel offered to drive me here and I said yes because I couldn't stand being around while they were fighting. I gave my number to Hazel so they could call me back when they would have the final decision…

As the black-haired young man explains the situation to the blonde, the phone of the house starts ringing. Percy jumps off the couch to answer hastily.

-Hello?

-Salve*, am I talking to Percy Jackson? A voice with a thick Italian accent asks.

-Yeah, it's me. Percy answers with his drawling voice.

-Good, because I wanted to talk to you.

-Uh, who am I speaking to?

-It's Nico, idiota*!

-Oh… Uh, sorry? I didn't recognize you on the phone…

-I'm calling you back to announce you that you are now the lead singer of our band, congratulazioni*.

-What?

-You heard me, Jackson. You are our lead singer, now. We expect to see you every practices on Friday nights starting at 6:30 and finishing at 10:00. Also, we'll have to plan out a few other practices together since I am the one writing the band's songs and I have to show them to you.

-Uh, alright… I'll make sure to be there next practice.

-Good. Now, see you on Friday, arivederci*.

The call suddenly ended and the young man hung up with a startled look on his face. He turned around to look at Annabeth and started at her with an incredulous look on his face.

-I guess he just changed his mind.

* * *

That feeling when you were only planning to write a one shot and it turns out into a multi-chapter fanfiction. I wrote this chapter listening to The Little Mermaid's Part of Your World and various Disney instrumental songs, I enjoyed it greatly! Next chapter will maybe focus on Nico, but I'm not sure... Until then, see you guys!

Translations:

1\. Salve: hello (Italian)

2\. idiota: idiot (Italian)

3\. congratulazioni (Italian)

4\. arivederci: goodbye (Italian)


	6. Chapter 6

Percy shyly walks up to Nico with his white helmet resting on the top of his head and holding his skateboard.

The sun is slowly setting and the rest of their group is packing up the instruments and all the sound equipment under the surveillance of Leo, who is responsible of giving the instructions for the cleanup.

Thalia happily offers a drink to everyone and decides to pass some beers around since it is a Friday night. Percy declines the alcoholic beverage since he has to go back home by himself. It is almost ten and he and Nico have not discussed about the additional practices.

Nico is currently discussing with Bianca in Italian, making impossible for everyone to understand them. However, they are still keeping their voice low, which is a strange phenomenon to Percy. The young man does not want to interrupt the sibling's conversation and simply decides to patiently wait for the right opportunity to speak up. However, Bianca notices him and smiles mischievously in his direction.

-Nico, I think Percy wants to speak to you. I'll wait for you in that car, alright?

The youngest glares at his sister and turns around to look at Percy expectantly.

-Please, don't give me the death stare… It makes me really uncomfortable…

-I'm not giving you the death stare. What do you want?

-I wanted to talk to you about those additional practices you mentioned on the phone the other day…

-You want to schedule them?

-Yeah.

-Alright, then, when are you available?

-I have swimming practices on Tuesday and Thursday.

-And we have the band practice on Friday. Do you attend any competitions during the weekend?

-Not really, they never chose me.

-Good. It would be preferable if you come over to my place during the week after school. It's more practical and my parents won't be around to bother us. Is Monday fine?

-Yeah, it's cool.

Nico rummages in his backpack and gets a notebook and a pencil; he rips a sheet out, scribbles some information on it and hands it to Percy.

-This is my address and cellphone number if you ever need it.

-Thanks…

The green-eyed teenager hesitates for a few seconds as Nico walks away to the car, but surprises himself as he suddenly grasps the Italian's wrist into his hands.

-Nico, by the way, I'm sorry about what happened last year. I was planning on answering you, but Octavian stole the letter and made the copies. I'm sorry he embarrassed you like this. It's kind of my fault for not being careful enough with him.

The young man takes a deep breath; his hands are sweaty and they are starting to shake. Nico stares at him with his dark brown eyes, as if he is looking from something hidden deep within Percy.

-Apologize accepted… The Italian finally says as he looks away. Besides, it's not your fault if Octavian is completely and utterly fucking mental… And I should be the one saying sorry too, for… Being such a big jerk to you.

-Apologize accepted. Percy answers with a small smile playing on his lips. See you on Monday?

-Yeah… See you on Monday.


	7. Chapter 7

Percy takes a deep breath and dives into the cold water of the school's swimming pool as he hears the high pitched sound produced by his coach's whistle. He swims for a while and is immediately called out.

-What is it, coach? Nervously asks the young man as he gets out of the water.

-Jackson, your technique is terrible today! You seem preoccupied, is everything alright?

-Uh… Yeah… Sorry, Coach! I'm a little tired, that's all. Percy lies.

After a short discussion with his coach, the young man walks toward the showers to rinse the chlorine off his body and change clothes. He knows Octavian and the rest of the team will probably mock him later for being told to go back home and get some rest, but Percy is under so much stress that he does not really matter.

What is really preoccupying him is what is happening between Nico and him. It has been a few weeks since they started revising Nico's songs and working on them together and both have become really close.

However, the first practices had been really hard for the young teenager. He used to spend his entire weekends feeling anxious about the additional practice with Nico on Monday instead of relaxing like he always did. He had been unable to do his homework at first because of the stress, which got him into a lot of trouble. Mrs. Dodds, his algebra teacher, often gave him additional work to do at home. Luckily for Percy, his history teacher, Mr. Chiron, was kind enough not to give him detentions.

The first time he went to Nico's place, Percy had to look for the directions on a computer in the school's library during his lunch break. Annabeth had accompanied him since she had a few books on architecture to return.

There, they had seen Leo, who had been fixing a defective keyboard. The Latino had happily greeted Percy and had started chatting with him, which had surprised the black-haired teenager a lot. Annabeth did not say anything, but she had seemed satisfied with the fact that Percy was making new friends.

After school, Percy usually makes his way to Nico's place on his skateboard. Hazel always answers the door. (She even offered him a tour of the house the first time he came. The place was insanely huge and quiet; the green-eyed teenager had turned down her offer since it would probably be too long to visit it entirely.) Percy is now familiar enough with Nico's place; he can easily make his way to Nico's room, which is spacious enough to contain a bed so big it is half the size of Percy's bedroom.

They usually revise song lyrics the younger man wrote, rearranging the words and the chords together. Sometimes, Nico even comes up with a verse or two in Italian, which they have to translate together.

His first worries started when he began noticing more things about the Italian. During his multiple visits, the green-eyed teenager learned that Nico was far from patient and calm. He is impulsive, dramatic, and extroverted and always speaks loudly. He also has weird habits, which Percy lists in his mind:

a. He drinks everything with a straw (including soup).

b. He loves Mythomagic. He collects the cards and displays the figurine he has in his bedroom where they can be seen. (He is really proud of it.)

c. He never skips an occasion to eat McDonalds.

d. He drink minimum four cups of coffee during the band's practices because he is convinced it improves his skills by a certain amount of point.

e. He carries a lighter with him every time he goes somewhere in case he meets a smoker in need.

f. He buys gums and mints all the time, but never uses them.

g. He has a notebook in which he writes some conversations he has with people in case they could be useful.

h. He likes to doodle on his arms and pretend they're real tattoos.

i. He never wears socks, not even in his shoes or during winter.

j. He always says Wednesday out loud when he writes it.

k. He always takes his homework with him when he goes to the coffee shop, but always end up not doing any.

l. He always skips the two bottom stairs.

m. All his underwear are black, he hates other colors.

n. He often checks his pockets for his wallet or his keys even if he just put them in it.

o. He's good at doing origamis and always carry colored paper with him to make some origamis when he is bored.

p. He rubs his arms with his hands when he feels vulnerable.

Percy had noticed the last habit on the list the previous Monday. Nico came up with an entire song written in Italian, which he refused to translate. Percy admitted his desire to sing in Italian to convince Nico to let him sing the song, but the younger boy still refused. He explained that the lyrics were too personal and that he had written them the previous year, right before he confessed his feelings for Percy through a letter, which was later copied by Octavian and exposed to the entire school.

During the whole time, Nico rubbed his arms with his hands. Percy reassured him that everything was over and that he did not think he was ridiculous for confessing his love to him.

After this intimate evening, Percy found himself wanting to get closer to Nico and learn more about him. He found those thoughts odds and they worried him greatly because he did not understand what was happening. At the moment, he is feeling confused about his feelings toward Nico. He has no idea what to think of them.

When he finally gets back home, the green eyed-teenager decides to make a phone call before taking a nap. He grabs the phone and selects the number in the repertoire.

-Hello, Jason? Yeah, it's Percy. Could you give me Piper's phone number, please?

* * *

This chapter was a challenge. I rarely meddle with verb tenses like this because English is not my first language, I am tired and my ADD is killing me right now. I will go to bed now. I am so sorry for the delay, I am apologizing with a longer chapter. I'll upload the next chapter eventually. Thank you so much for your patience and for reading this far.


	8. Chapter 8

Thalia parks her motorcycle in front of the garage where the rest of the band is practicing and takes her helmet off, a huge and proud smile on her face. She walks confidently toward the group of teenagers starring at her expectedly and rests her hands on her hips, a habit she and Jason have. (This never surprises anyone since they are siblings.)

-What is wrong with everyone? Why is there always someone who's late? Nico whines, clutching his dark curls into his hands.

The older woman rolls her eyes. No one says anything because, first, Nico is _always_ late and, second, they all fear the wrath of the Italian.

-I guess it must be a running gag. Leo declares, rearranging Percy's microphone holder.

-Can you stop complaining? At least, I'm bringing good news with me.

-What do you mean? Jason asked, raising an eyebrow.

-Nico, remember that errand you asked me to take care of?

-Yes, absolutely!

-Well, I met two guys yesterday at a party, their names are Pollux and Castor.

-I'm surprised you still remember! Jason says with a mocking smile.

Thalia childishly shows him her tongue.

-Shut up, Jason. Anyways, they own a small bar downtown because their father is rich as fuck and they offer us to play a few songs there next week.

-Do you mean… We got ourselves a first gig? Nico asks with an incredulous look on his face.

-Yes!

The seven teenagers scream in victory, dropping their instruments and hugging each other happily, except for Percy. The black haired boy remains silent, standing still in shock. He slowly comes to the realization that he will have to sing in front of many people, which scared him shitless. His breath picks up and that is when Percy knows he is about to have a panic attack.

He had to leave.

Now.

Percy drops he microphone he is holding in his hands on the dirty floor of the garage, take his skateboard and his helmet and leaves without his school bag. The other members of the band try to stop him without any success, wondering what is going on.

The young boy successfully makes his way home. He stumbles in the stairs as he tries to reach the apartment where he lives with his small family.

Once he is inside, he slams the door shut and walks straight to his room, ignoring his mother Sally, who is speaking to him from the kitchen. Percy fells as if he went blind and deaf. His heavy breathing alarms Sally, who decides to run after him. Paul, Percy's stepfather, who was reading the newspaper in the living room, stands up from the couch with a worried look on his face, ready to intervene if his help was needed.

The black-haired teenager was walking too fast; he trips on his way to his bedroom and falls to the floor with a loud thump. His mother finally reaches him and grabs him by the shoulder, helping him to sit down properly. She rests a hand on his cheek and stares into her son's green eyes who looks distraught.

After one long and terrific hour, Percy finally manages to calm down. Sally takes him to the living room and brings him a plate of blue chocolate chip cookies with a glass of milk. The teenager finally explains the cause of his panic attack to his mother and Paul, who are sitting beside him on the couch, both reassuring him with soft words and encouraging thoughts.

-You know, Percy, I think you should tell Nico about how you feel.

Percy takes a sip from his glass of milk, avoiding his mother's glance and trying to hide his blushing cheeks.

-I don't know… I don't want everyone to worry about me and… Mom, I would ruin their only chance!

-That's not an excuse, Percy. If it's bad for your mental health, you shouldn't do it. You should respect your limits instead.

Paul nods as to agree with Sally's words. The green-eyed teenager stares at the white liquid into the glass he is holding; the surface is cold, just like Nico's hands.

-Alright, I'll tell him. Percy said.


	9. Chapter 9

Most people tend to remember the best things and the craziest moments of senior year when the last year of high school is brought up as a subject of conversation during a supper with old friends. They relate their adventures all together between sips of wine and mouthfuls of their food, a kid sitting on one of his or her parents lap would probably ask a few questions about the most embarrassing moments and laugh along with the adults.

For Percy, senior year is one of the worst experiences he ever lived.

Telling his mother he would talk to Nico about his emotional issues and his insecurities was probably the biggest lie he ever told her.

The day after he had his panic attack, the green-eyed teenager promised himself to never speak to anybody from the band, to skip every practices and to not attend the concert at Pollux and Castor's bar.

This obviously made all his new friends very angry at him. Just like Percy wanted, most of them just stopped talking to him, but some others were really persistent. Bianca and Leo had chased the black-haired boy countless of times down the hallways, trying to get an explanation from him. Their attempts were unfortunately unsuccessful and they all eventually gave up on trying to understand why Percy abandoned them.

After Christmas holidays, a new student transferred to the school. Annabeth introduced him to Percy; his name was Grover, he loved enchiladas and coffee and even shared some classes with the black-haired teenager. Both young men became friends really quickly.

The school year eventually came to an end, which was a relief to the young man who simply wanted it to be over. He now disdained swimming because of Octavian, the terrible captain of the school's swim team who made sure Percy's life was a living hell during practices, and had only a few friends he could count on the fingers of one hand that were all leaving after graduation. Annabeth was going to study in San Francisco in a renowned university to get a degree in architecture and Grover and Juniper were leaving on a road trip in South America.

On his hand, Percy decided to stay in New York. He wanted to get a degree in marine biology, even if university was a challenge to him because of his ADHD and his dyslexia.

At first, Percy had not really realized it, but by the end of the school year, the green-eyed teenager would be completely alone.

And it would be the hardest thing for him to get through.


	10. Moving to AO3

Hello everyone,

I have decided to stop uploading stories on Fanfiction for personal reasons. Therefore, I am moving to AO3 under the name of FringeVagabond. I will leave this account active, but if you are interested in keeping reading my stories, you'll have to go on AO3 for updates.

Thank you very much and I hope to see you on AO3,

-Fringe


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